The population was 7,774 at the
2000 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions
of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people, per the town's
website. It is about a 20 minute drive from the Pacific Ocean, between
Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay, and is known for its progressive politics
and small-town charm. It was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing
region; wine grapes are now predominant, and almost all ex-orchards
are now vineyards. World-famous horticulturist Luther Burbank had
gardens in this fertile region. The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom
Festival and Gravenstein Apple Fair.
Continued...

As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of
54,548. As of 2006, Petaluma's population is 56,727. Petaluma Adobe State
Historic Park contains the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark.
It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then
Commandant of the San Francisco Presidio. It was the center of a vast 66,000
acre ranch stretching from Petaluma Creek to Sonoma Creek. The adobe is
considered one of the best preserved buildings of its era in Northern
California. Petaluma is a transliteration of the Coast Miwok phrase péta lúuma
which means hill backside and probably refers to Petaluma's proximity to Sonoma
Mountain.Continued...